Support offices

Library

For over four decades, the San Raffaele Library has been a strategic cornerstone in supporting scientific knowledge, biomedical research, and clinical excellence. Established in the late 1970s as an integral part of San Raffaele Hospital, the Library has evolved into a dynamic knowledge hub, providing clinicians, researchers, and healthcare professionals with access to high-quality scientific information and advanced research support services.

Today, the Library offers a world-class collection of scholarly resources, including over 10,000 electronic journals, 56,000 e-books, subscriptions to the most authoritative international scientific databases, and extensive print holdings comprising approximately 60,000 volumes of scientific journals and 40,000 monographs. This rich and diverse collection ensures comprehensive support for research, education, and evidence-based clinical practice.

Since 2001, the Library has also curated and developed an in-house database dedicated to San Raffaele’s scientific publications, enriched with major bibliometric indicators that help measure and enhance research impact.

As part of a broader network of excellence, the Library is a member of the Lombardy Biomedical Library System (SBBL)—the first major Italian collaborative network for biomedical libraries—and Bibliosan, the national network connecting the libraries of Italy’s 52 Scientific Institutes for Research, Hospitalization and Healthcare (IRCCS), promoted by the Ministry of Health. Moreover the Library participates in the initiatives of EAHIL – European Association for Health Information and Libraries.

Through these networks, the Library strengthens access to shared knowledge, promotes best practices, and contributes to the advancement of biomedical research.

Services

Designed to meet the evolving needs of the scientific and clinical community, the San Raffaele Library provides seamless access to resources and tailored support services, both on campus and remotely through its institutional portal and proxy service. Its core services include:

  • Self-checkout borrowing services for print collections;
  • document delivery and interlibrary services for materials not available in the Library’s holdings;
  • tailored training programs on scientific databases, literature searching, and reference management tools;
  • expert support in bibliometrics, persistent identifiers, and research visibility strategies;
  • monitoring and annual reporting on Open Access publishing costs;
  • management of publication vouchers arising from Transformative Agreements;
  • preparation of institutional reports and bibliometric analyses on San Raffaele’s scientific output for the Scientific Directorate;
  • development of targeted analytical reports, including gender-related publication analyses for the OSR GEDI Team (Gender, Diversity and Inclusion in Medicine, Research and Governance) and bibliometric assessments of oncological research output for the Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The San Raffaele Library is constantly striving to support its users, fully aware of its role at the intersection of preclinical and clinical research and education.

Networks

The Library is part of the SBBL (“Sistema Bibliotecario Biomedico Lombardo”) Library Pool, established by the Lombardy Government, and being the first Italian pool experience for big libraries in the biomedical area. The Library adheres to Bibliosan, the network of the libraries of the 52 Research Hospitals (IRCCS, Istituti di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico) established by the Italian Ministry of Health in 2004.